Marvel Comics Final Thoughts – X-Men: Deadly Genesis

Thanks to Marvel’s popular and successful foray into films with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I’ve finally decided to get back into comics. I grew up a big fan of X-Men and other superheroes but haven’t really kept up since the 90s. Thus begins my grand catching-up of the last ten years of Marvel comics, events and stories.

Thanks in large part to trade paperbacks and the digital convenience of Marvel Unlimited I can make relatively quick progress, and I’ll write down my Final Thoughts for each collection here on my blog. Like my gaming Final Thoughts, this will be full of spoilers. You’ve been warned!

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Trevor Hairsine

Issues:X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1-6

After the excellent character-focused treatment we got in Captain America: Winter Soldier I became a big fan of comic writer Ed Brubaker’s work. I’m pleased to report that his work on a special limited series starring the X-Men in the wake of the Decimation caused by the events of House of M is even better. Deadly Genesis is a bold semi-retconning exploration of the events of the original “Deadly Genesis” storyline published in 1975 that introduced most of the X-Men we know and love (Storm, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Colossus, etc) on a quest to save the original X-Men (Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Angel, Iceman) from a powerful sentient island named Krakoa. The original story is analogous to The Transformers: The Movie in that it got rid of most of the old cast to make room for the new guys (unlike Transformers, it didn’t brutally kill everyone off, however).

This new Deadly Genesis boldly shakes that sacred story down to its core by exposing some previous unknown truths about how Cyclops managed to escape and form a new team. Before he and Xavier gathered new mutants from across the world, Xavier went to on-again off-again lover and scientist Moira McTaggert, who had her own training facility for young mutants set up. In an uncharacteristically but interesting move, Xavier pulls them out and uses his telepathy to instill months of training into the young mutants in a matter of days. They are Earth-powered Petra, time-manipulator Sway, the constantly evolving/adaptive Darwin and generic energy-wielding Vulcan. Oh, and Vulcan happens to be a long-lost third Summers brother!

The original comic from 1975; Deadly Genesis Issue 1’s cover is a dark homage.

The team assaults the living island wielding their powers, and combined are still only able to rescue Cyclops. Scott escapes while the rest go back for the others, only to be killed in the process. Cyclops is terribly distraught and having just gained and lost a brother as well as knowing so many had died, and Xavier does another crazy uncharacteristic thing and mind-wipes him, allowing him to forget and believe the island itself was sentient.

All was well until Scarlet Witch gave us the No More Mutants world-state, and the sudden ripping apart of mutant powers caused Vulcan to reawaken and return to Earth (after having been thrown into space along with Krakoa at the end of the original “Deadly Genesis”). Turns out while the rest of the team died, Darwin bonded with Vulcan’s cells, allowing him to survive even in space. Vulcan returned to Earth super pissed off about being sent on a suicide mission, and wants revenge on Professer X and the X-Men.

While that whole tale is fascinating in a very retcon-y kind of way, it’s the way it’s told that makes it work so well. Emma notices the powerful mutant signature entering Earth’s atmosphere, and Wolverine, Cyclops and Rachel Grey are sent to investigate. They meet the god-like Vulcan who quickly kicks their asses and captures Scott and Rachel. Meanwhile the rest of the X-Men are seeing ghosts and nightmares around the mansion as a dark foreboding shrouds the mansion.

While Vulcan hints at a large conspiracy by Xavier (and uses Marvel Girl to dig around her mind for answers) Wolverine and Nightcrawler try to meet up with Banshee, who’s discovered Moira’s secret tapes on her team. Vulcan picks up the X-Jet and crashes it into Banshee’s plane, just as he gets out trying to save everyone inside. It’s a thrilling and brutal moment, and one that I unfortunately spoiled for myself as I read the first arc of X-Factor before this (where Cyke shows up to tell Banshee’s daughter Syren that he’d died).

The mystery plot builds up nicely over several issues as our heroes race to uncover the truth behind Vulcan and his ill-fated team, but it’s not until Charles Xavier shows up at the end that he spills the beans behind his greatest mistake. Since the events of House of M, Xavier is one of the many now de-powered mutants, and the reason the team had been unable to find him.

The X-Men attempt to fight Vulcan, but only after Marvel Girl senses Darwin still ‘inside’ him and rips him out do they weaken him enough to stand a chance. Even then, Xavier reveals the bloody truth about his birth – his mother was killed and himself ripped out of his mother’s womb while she was pregnant by the Shi’ar Emperor D’Ken, and the child was raised as a slave to the Shi’Ar Empire. Pro tip to all evil rulers – Kill all offspring of people you kill, otherwise they will always find a way to bit you in the ass.

Vulcan realizes that D’Ken is the far worse person in his horribly tragic life, and takes off through space (apparently he’s still powerful enough to fly in space) to begin the events of The Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire that take over the Uncanny X-Men line for several issues, and which I’m very excited to start.

Deadly Genesis could’ve easily turned into a hot mess with its huge events and bombs (a third Summer’s brother! Banshee dies! A team in between the original two! Xavier is kind of a fuck-up!) but thanks to Brubaker’s masterful writing always stays grounded on the mystery of those past events and the build-up to Vulcan’s identity. Despite given fairly generic ‘energy manipulation’ powers, Vulcan is an intriguing villain with tons of backstory. It’s also nice to see a vigorous nod to continuity and current events, as the Sentinel Squad of O*N*E are there to help (and hinder) the X-Men during the events.

Nearly every X-Men is given a scene or something to do, and somehow it feels cohesive instead of shoe-horned in. Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Beast, Emma Frost and Havok in particular are all directly affected by the events, but none more than Cyclops.This story may just be the final nail in the coffin in regards to his relationship to Xavier (whom he basically says Get the Fuck Out at the end) and cementing his own path as a hardened leader.

I also really loved Trevor Hairsine’s art – lots of shadows, sweat and blood while still maintaining a comic feel. Dare I say it’s been my favorite art style of most of the comics I’ve read so far. The art style, writing, and fact that I’m actually familiar with the original classic X-Men story helped make Deadly Genesis one of the best limited series arcs I’ve read yet.